NYT: Video Evidence Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Near Iranian School, 175 Dead
A recent investigative report released by The New York Times has unveiled visual evidence of a cruise missile strike by the United States on a location in southern Iran. Video footage shows Tomahawk missiles striking a naval base situated in extremely close proximity to an elementary school in the city of Minab.
The attack, which occurred on 28 February 2026, reportedly killed at least 175 people, with the majority of victims being elementary school pupils.
An in-depth analysis conducted by The New York Times using satellite imagery, social media uploads, and verified video demonstrated that Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School sustained severe damage. This damage resulted from a precision strike that occurred nearly simultaneously with an attack on a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base.
In the recorded footage, a missile is seen striking a building identified as a medical clinic inside the military base. However, as the camera angle shifts to the surrounding area, thick clouds of dust and smoke are already visible rising from the school’s location. This indicates that the educational facility was likely hit by the strike shortly before the missile struck the naval facility.
As a technical note, the United States military is the only party in this conflict known to actively employ Tomahawk cruise missiles, remote-guided weapons with a range reaching 1,609 kilometres.
When questioned by media regarding US involvement in the school bombing, President Donald Trump denied responsibility. “No. In my opinion, it was done by Iran,” Trump stated, adding the argument that Iranian ammunition has low accuracy levels.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon is currently reviewing the incident internally. Meanwhile, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine provided a slightly different account by confirming US military activity in the area.
“The first weapon launched from the sea was a Tomahawk cruise missile fired by the United States Navy,” Caine stated in a Pentagon briefing as cited in the NYT investigation.
The findings from this mainstream media investigation are also consistent with a separate analysis by the open-source investigation group Bellingcat. They successfully identified the Tomahawk missile strike against the IRGC facility and reported seeing smoke plumes from the school area shortly before the missile impact was recorded on camera.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has characterised the killing of the students as a serious violation of the protection of educational facilities under international humanitarian law. UNESCO has urged a comprehensive investigation to be conducted immediately to determine which party bears the greatest responsibility for this tragedy.